No Sleep 'til Sudbury
We’ve all heard the stories of what it was like to grow up in the hay-day of metal, hearing exciting bands like KISS, Guns N Roses, Metallica, Slayer and Motley Crue as they were bringing out what are now, classic tracks, albums and anthems. All too often though, the account we hear is from magazines who glorify the time, or bands who simply saw the massive crowd, bright lights and money rolling into their accounts. Brent Jensen has taken the first steps to change this though, putting down on paper his own accounts of growing up in that era, discovering bands and the general ‘scene’ as it grew around him in his book, No Sleep ‘Til Sudbury.
Throughout the read, Jensen charts his exposure to different bands at different times, looking at the impact which each had on him and how the general scene surrounding metal changed and evolved over the years from when he was first exposed to titans KISS in Wally’s Record Store in Espanola, Ontario.
What I found most striking throughout the read was the personal attention to detail which Jensen has applied to his writing, ensuring that the story being told paints a picture of what life was like then, how he (and others) responded to the bands, and how each band influenced his taste over the years. From telling Gene Simmons he loved him (that part had me in stiches), through to comparing Poison to pre-packaged Sushi, the often in depth (nearing OCD) attention to detailed recollections allows the reader to feel a connection with Jensen as the story teller, as well as the period of time in question.
What is particularly refreshing about Jensen’s approach to his writing is his honesty about his tastes, openly confessing to snubbing crowd pleasing tracks ( as well as opening tracks on albums) in favour of the ones which HE felt some sort of connection with. When discussing Guns N Roses for example, he openly goes against the common grain, referring to Axl as the prolific songwriter of GnR rather than Slash – an opinion which I have shared for a long time. This willingness to step away from mass conceptions in order to make bold, but honest statements give the read a sense of refreshing uniqueness, demonstrating that a true story is quiet often more entertaining than an embellished or fictional account.
Offering a read which comes across as sitting down with Jensen himself and discussing the ins and outs of music over the years, No Sleep ‘Til Sudbury is a fantastic account of a personal view point of music, growing up around it, and the way bands have changed themselves and the world around them. Written in a laid back manner to keep the reader at ease, this isn’t a taxing or confusing read, but simply one of those books which you’ll come back to time and time again, mention to friends, and quote when you least expect it.
To close things, a quote – ‘Where hair metal is concerned, at least for 80s adolescents like me, the countless Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith clones actually served a purposes in an inadvertent way. They provided a ‘lite’ version of the real stuff. It carried an almost children’s chewable quality of the hard rock and heavy metal vitamins I may have been too young to fully digest as an ADD-addled teen.’
Those few lines, for me, summarise this book – a personal journey through growing up and experiencing what many of us now class as a classic era.
Check out No Sleep ‘Til Sudbury for yourself, HERE.
Throughout the read, Jensen charts his exposure to different bands at different times, looking at the impact which each had on him and how the general scene surrounding metal changed and evolved over the years from when he was first exposed to titans KISS in Wally’s Record Store in Espanola, Ontario.
What I found most striking throughout the read was the personal attention to detail which Jensen has applied to his writing, ensuring that the story being told paints a picture of what life was like then, how he (and others) responded to the bands, and how each band influenced his taste over the years. From telling Gene Simmons he loved him (that part had me in stiches), through to comparing Poison to pre-packaged Sushi, the often in depth (nearing OCD) attention to detailed recollections allows the reader to feel a connection with Jensen as the story teller, as well as the period of time in question.
What is particularly refreshing about Jensen’s approach to his writing is his honesty about his tastes, openly confessing to snubbing crowd pleasing tracks ( as well as opening tracks on albums) in favour of the ones which HE felt some sort of connection with. When discussing Guns N Roses for example, he openly goes against the common grain, referring to Axl as the prolific songwriter of GnR rather than Slash – an opinion which I have shared for a long time. This willingness to step away from mass conceptions in order to make bold, but honest statements give the read a sense of refreshing uniqueness, demonstrating that a true story is quiet often more entertaining than an embellished or fictional account.
Offering a read which comes across as sitting down with Jensen himself and discussing the ins and outs of music over the years, No Sleep ‘Til Sudbury is a fantastic account of a personal view point of music, growing up around it, and the way bands have changed themselves and the world around them. Written in a laid back manner to keep the reader at ease, this isn’t a taxing or confusing read, but simply one of those books which you’ll come back to time and time again, mention to friends, and quote when you least expect it.
To close things, a quote – ‘Where hair metal is concerned, at least for 80s adolescents like me, the countless Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith clones actually served a purposes in an inadvertent way. They provided a ‘lite’ version of the real stuff. It carried an almost children’s chewable quality of the hard rock and heavy metal vitamins I may have been too young to fully digest as an ADD-addled teen.’
Those few lines, for me, summarise this book – a personal journey through growing up and experiencing what many of us now class as a classic era.
Check out No Sleep ‘Til Sudbury for yourself, HERE.
